This was a big week for Tomba fans, because Limited Run Games just announced that they would be bringing the 32-bit cult classic to modern consoles later this year. But wait, that's not all, because they also announced the Gex Trilogy – a classic compilation that will feature Gex, Enter the Gecko and Deep Cover Gecko. That's exciting news, but are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer & Video Games, Next Generation and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. So, get your one-liners ready, because this is a Gecko-filled episode of Limited Run Review Crew.


Released late in the Great Mascot Wars of the 1990s, Gex was leading the charge when it came to self-aware platforming heroes voiced by popular comedians. After a surprisingly tumultuous development process that saw the game go through a number of major revisions, Crystal Dynamics settled on an adorable Gecko voiced by Dana Gould who gets sucked into his television and is forced to run and jump over all kinds of fun meta references. It was a showpiece title when it was first released on the 3DO, and even went on to be one of the system's top-selling games, despite not coming out until 1994. One year later, it would find a bunch of brand-new fans over on the PlayStation and Saturn.

When it came to the reviews, there was a big divide between the 3DO original and the PlayStation and Saturn ports. For example, Electronic Gaming Monthly initially gave Gex an average score of 8.6 out of 10, but dropped that down to a 7.9 when Sony and Sega's systems showed up. Sushi-X concluded that “Not since Mario and Sonic has there been a cute and cool mascot character. The game plays great, looks great, sounds great and simply is great.” Dano also liked the game, though not quite as much: “The graphics and sounds are superb, and the voice of comedian Dana Gould adds some great one-liner humor to an already enjoyable game. Unfortunately, the backgrounds scroll a bit choppily, but that's not the fault of the programmers and hardly takes away from the fun.”

We saw similar scores from Game Players, who gave Gex an 81%. As expected, Die Hard Game Fan went a lot higher, with an average score of 92%. And, yes, GamePro went even higher than that, giving Gex a perfect 5 out of 5. Believe it or not, Next Generation was also impressed with Crystal Dynamics' first stab at a mascot game. Giving it 4 stars out of 5, they called it “one of the most solid and enjoyable side-scrolling action games in a while. However, as good as the gameplay admittedly is, Gex's main attraction lies in the personality of its star and (here comes that word again) the attitude behind the overall approach the designers have taken. This is both the title's biggest strength and reason for a moment of sad commentary. Gex is a wise-cracking little reptile; between his hip one-liners and the levels' post-modern looks, much of the game is downright funny.” Much like EGM, Next Gen scored the game slightly lower when it hit the PlayStation, giving it a 3 out of 5.

The lowest score I could find came from Mean Machines Sega, who gave the Saturn port a measly 51%. Marcus noted that the game felt dated in 1996: “Platformers aren't exactly the flavour of the month. In fact, I can't remember a time when the attentions of developers and gameplayers haven't been more focused elsewhere. This has created a climate where a Saturn platformer has got to be all the more impressive, all the more original and all the more compelling in order to make an impact. This would have made a fine, if hardly memorable, Mega Drive title. The Saturn deserves better.”

That's the big divide between scores. When Gex hit the 3DO, 2D platformers were on their way out, but by the time the game hit the PlayStation and Saturn, all eyes were on 3D gaming. That first Gex may have been great, but the critics were ready to move on, just like me.

Sensing the shift in the platforming genre, Gex returned in 1998 with a brand-new 3D sequel that once again took aim at pop culture and mass media. Gex: Enter the Gecko managed to spoof everything from James Bond to Bruce Lee to Star Wars, giving Dana Gould another opportunity to add funny one-liners and meta jokes making fun of the platforming genre. Much like the original, the game saw a staggered release, with the PlayStation version coming out early in 1998, and then the Nintendo 64 port released six months later.

Before you ask, yes, this is another example of the critics liking one version over the other. A good example of this is Electronic Gaming Monthly, who gave the PlayStation original a strong 8.4 out of 10, while the N64 version only mustered a 5.5. Sushi sums up the score discrepancy without even meaning to: “Gex is as good as Mario 64 clones get on the PlayStation. It packs more than enough levels, all of which are unique. I like the mission structure of each level, since it keeps you exploring.” He complained about the terrible camera problems before giving it an 8.5. Kraig wished the game had stayed 2D, but wasn't angry with this 3D version. “There's a lot to do in Gex, partly due to the huge, diverse (and great looking) levels. The one fault with the mission-based gameplay is that it lends to some unnecessary backtracking through levels. Still, this is a great PlayStation platformer.”

This is right in line with the 88% Enter the Gecko received from Die Hard Game Fan, as well as the 4 out of 5 it got from Computer & Video Games. That's the same score we saw in PlayStation Magazine's 8th issue, where they concluded that “Crystal Dynamics has done a decent job of bringing Gex into the 3D world. So, if you're a fan of platformers, give Gex 2 a try. It may not be perfect, but it has definitely taken this genre in the right direction.” They liked the comedy, but found the camera to be a bit problematic.

Things weren't quite a rosy over at Next Generation, who went with a very middle-of-the-road 3 out of 5. “Three-D platformers are still a relatively new phenomenon, with few titles to be compared to. A consistent formula for making camera controls intuitive and unobtrusive has yet to be discovered, and until then, the genre will continue to receive its share of technical growing pains. Crystal Dynamics has taken a bold, innovative step into the 3D platforming genre with Enter the Gecko by providing humor, solid design and clever enemies, but the gameplay still needs a little time to catch up.”

On the PlayStation, Gex didn't have a whole lot of 3D competition. However, on the Nintendo 64, he was directly up against genre high-water marks like Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. That said, the lowest score I could find came from Computer & Video Games, who gave it a low 2 out of 5, and for a pretty humorous reason: “The trouble with Gex is that, while he may have taken off in America and become a well-known games character, the European market hasn't warmed up to him as much. Europe hasn't warmed up to him at all, in fact. And even as the game has improved over time, that lingering sound of the cheesy Yank voice is always with us.” Now that stings a little. I guess Gex is an American thing.

Only thirteen months after releasing Enter the Gecko comes Deep Cover Gecko, the final chapter in the Gex trilogy that didn't waste any time hitting store shelves. This sequel keeps the formula, the one-liners and the pop culture observations, all while adding a real-world Playboy model as the sexy Agent Xtra. In other words, it was more of the same for people who were looking for more of the same. And judging by the fact that there wasn't a Gex 4, that might not have been a whole lot of people.

When it came to the reviews, the phrase I would use is “diminishing results.” After falling in love with the side-scrolling original and mostly enjoying the 3D sequel, the critics were starting to cool off on the gecko hero. Electronic Gaming Monthly scored the PlayStation version with a so-so 7.6 out of 10. Dan puts it this way: “Gex's humor is getting a bit old. The controls in Gex aren't what they should be. The camera can make you yank your hair out in frustration. But I still like the game. Why? The level designs, like the last Gex, are great.” While John agreed about the camera controls, he points out another one of the game's problems: “If you've played Enter the Gecko, you pretty much know what to expect from Deep Cover Gecko. The two games look and feel virtually identical.”

You also saw scores drop in most of the other magazines, including GamePro, who went down to a 4 out of 5. The same thing happened with Die Hard Game Fan, who went as low as a 78%. And then there's PSM, who issued a warning in their review: “Gex does take some bangs and bumps from the slow camera system that still stubbornly sticks to certain angles that disrupt gameplay. There's also the problem of Gex 3 being not much more than a level add-on to Gex 2. With very little improvement in graphics, sound and gameplay over its predecessor, those who weren't impressed with the gecko's former outings will definitely want to steer clear.”

You really saw the diminishing returns over at Next Generation, who gave it a 2 out of 5 and were pretty much done with this franchise. “Gex 3 is a passable game – barely. Everything about the title is cookie cutter from beginning to end. Tomb Raider III, at least, had good level designs to back up its aging engine. Gex 3 doesn't even have that. Suffice it to say, we expected more from this one. Hopefully the next Gex game will be a little more original.” Of course, as fans already know, there wouldn't be a fourth game. This is where the ride ends. Maybe the upcoming Gex Trilogy will renew interest in the series and prompt a modern-day reboot. Makes me wonder what Gex would say about the streaming wars.

Tomba is the very definition of a cult classic. Although it was published by Sony in America and even received a critically-acclaimed sequel in 1999, it was never a big commercial hit. It wouldn't be until years later, when critics, fans and popular websites started to beat the drum for this clever action/adventure game. That's why it's so exciting to hear that Tomba will be getting a re-release on modern consoles, as it has always felt like one of those titles that is just moments away from breaking through to the mainstream.

You definitely see that in the reviews from the late 1990s. You can practically hear the editors at Electronic Gaming Monthly begging their readers to give Tomba a shot. Dan argued: “Don't be fooled by Tomba's kooky exterior. Underneath its childish and wacky shell is a complicated action title with more than 100 mini-adventure to go on. And that's exactly what I like about the game – it has some weird stuff that keeps you rolling on the floor, but it also presents enough challenge to keep you busy.” Crispin liked the game even more, comparing it to another 32-bit cult classic: “Like Klonoa, Tomba is a state-of-the-art side-scroller, an almost perfect marriage between sprite-based characters and polygonal environments. But there's a heck of a lot more to it than running and jumping. This game is rich with RPG elements, and it packs so many little tasks and side-quests that it's hard to keep track of them all.” Electronic Gaming Monthly gave Tomba an average score of 8.75 out of 10.

You saw a similar opinion over at PlayStation Magazine, who gave the game a great 4 out of 5. That's the exact same score we saw from Next Generation, who was notoriously rough on games presented from a side-scrolling perspective. “Tomba hearkens back to when pastel-colored sprites with names like Andy the Aardvark were the norm and a box could proudly proclaim that it contained hours of “happy goodness.” Yes, Tomba is a (mostly) side-scrolling, (mostly) sprite-based action/adventure – but oh what fun. If you remember fondly the times when games were extremely playable, colorful and silly instead of being post-apocalyptic grind, then Tomba is the game for you.”

That definitely describes me, but apparently not Computer & Video Games, who gave the game a very middle-of-the-road 3 out of 5. “If you can live with the basic graphics, there's a lot of fun to be had playing Tomba. There's a real retro feel to the game and it has some clever surprises. Tomba might not be the most exciting platform character, but he's not the most annoying, either. The graphics suggest a younger audience, but the solid gameplay suggest older players. Whatever, Tomba does enough to make me want to play more, and to keep a keep eye open for Whoopee Camp's next release.” When even the most negative review is this glowing, then you know you have a winner on your hands. I don't care how you play it, Tomba is a great game that is well worth your time.